Home Depot - Not Just for Men Anymore

A Home Buying Article Contributed by Janet Bonk

Home Depot is Changing

Have you looked around a Home Depot lately? If you have you might have noticed that it is not just men who are getting excited about strapping on that nail pouch and swinging that hammer. More and more women are invading the aisles of this once sacred bastion of pure maleness. These women are not just there to browse and collect paint samples either. More and more they are the ones asking the questions, making the choices and doing the work. Home Depot has recognized this trend and they are finding new and innovative ways to make the "do-it-herself" inclination female friendly.

The Home Depot Shopper

The Home Depot was originally envisioned as a haven for men. Designers went for the gritty floors, sawdust strewn aisles, merchandise stacked to the rafters construction warehouse look. However, that look has been changing, and with good reason.

While traditionally it is believed that up to 85% of all home improvement decisions have been influenced by women recent surveys have indicated that today they are taking a more active role as up to 45% of the customers frequenting home improvement warehouse stores are women. Thus, Home Depot has set about making their retail centers a welcome and attractive place for their women customers.

Home Depot Adds 'new' to the 'tried and True'

Home Depot has always been known for its orange-aproned personnel who were readily available to answer questions and lead the way through the maze of aisles and merchandise. This "customer friendly" atmosphere is one of the main attractions for women, who are not afraid to ask questions, eager to learn how to fend for themselves when t it comes to home maintenance and improvement issues.

Add to that the newer innovations that this home improvement retailer has been rolling out and Home Depot has women flocking to their stores afternoons, evenings and weekends to experience such offerings as; "Ladies Night" do-it-yourself sessions, workshops and clinics covering everything from caulking a bathtub to mosaic tiling artistry.

A woman can while away an entire afternoon in the "Design Place" building a virtual map of her dream kitchen or swooning over high end bathroom fixtures and lighting selections. In some places there are even groups of women organizing their 'women's night out' around the clinic offerings of their local Home Depot center.

Home Depot a Virtual Escape

Even if she can't get away from her desk or the demands of her home a woman can still enjoy some of Home Depot's women-friendly innovations. All she has to do is hop onto her computer and click into the Home Depot web site. Chock full of pictures of friendly faces and happy people sporting their orange aprons - many of them women - it offers shopping, gift registry, how to's and more.

Today women are working harder than ever to afford the home of their dreams, from putting in the hours at their jobs to exercising great discretion in what goes into the designing and maintenance of that home. It is that sense of 'can-do' and self reliance that makes Home Depot's offerings a perfect fit for their needs.